<p><b>A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.</b></p><p>Victor and Eli started out as college roommates - brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.</p><p>Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe) , aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find - aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge - but who will be left alive at the end? </p><p>In <i>Vicious</i>, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.</p><p>"A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one ... highly recommended!" - Jonathan Maberry, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Marvel Universe vs The Avengers</i> and <i>Patient Zero</i></p><br><p>One of <i>Publishers Weekly</i>'s Best Fantasy Books of 2013</p>
